Disrupting the Canon with Young Adult Remixes

The Western literary canon has several texts that remain on required reading lists in secondary classrooms throughout the nation. Texts from the canon are overwhelming white and do not represent the culturally and linguistically diverse students in classrooms nationwide. This dissertation aimed to analyze how Romeo and Juliet is retold by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color authors as a remix for young adults. Through a critical comparative content analysis, Romeo and Juliet was compared to four young adult remixes (If You Come Softly, Romiette and Julio, These Violent Delights, and Street Love) written by BIPOC authors.

Findings show that the authors of the remixes did not rely on plot to reimagine Romeo and Juliet, but rather focused on retelling a love story and transforming the theme of star-crossed lovers. All young adult remixes acted a counterstory to the hegemonic whiteness of Romeo and Juliet by centering stories that are often ignored or untold in literature. Three out of four texts critiqued racism and whiteness in contemporary society through intentional additions to the text when compared to Romeo and Juliet. Implications for secondary teachers and teacher educators are discussed with suggestions for pairing texts in classrooms.